Printers are common peripheral devices attached to computers. A printer allows a computer user to make a hard copy of documents that are created in a variety of applications and programs on a computer. To function properly, a channel of communication is established (e.g., via a network connection) between the printer and the computer to enable the printer to receive commands and information from the host computer. Once a connection is established between a workstation and the printer, printing software is typically implemented at a print server to manage a print job from job entry and management through the complete printing process. Print servers have the ability to receive print jobs in various presentation architectures.
Presentation architectures represent documents in a data format that is independent of the methods that are utilized to capture or create those documents. One example of an exemplary presentation system, which will be described herein, is the (Advanced Function Presentation) AFP™ system developed by International Business Machines Corporation. According to the AFP system, documents may include combinations of text, image, graphics, and/or bar code objects in device and resolution independent formats. Documents may also include and/or reference fonts, overlays, and other resource objects, which are required at presentation time to present the data properly.
Another presentation architecture is the Portable Document Format (PDF). Print processing PDF files typically involves passing the files through a pre-processor to transform the PDF files into an AFP image data stream, which has high print fidelity, prior to processing the AFP image data stream at a print server. However, the AFP image data stream does not include information necessary to access the data for applications other than printing. For example, print jobs including statement (e.g., banking or credit card) AFP image data streams cannot be indexed to retrieve postal information that could be used for postal optimization of mailings. Moreover, the AFP image data streams cannot be indexed to provide for archiving the AFP in a statement archive.
Accordingly, an indexable PDF to AFP transform is desired.